Latest news with #UniversalTelevisionAlternativeStudio
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Americas' EP On Capturing Astounding Nature Scenes & Working With Tom Hanks, 'An Absolutely Delightful Bloke' – Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety
Frogs that freeze solid overnight in the Andes and then reanimate by day. Rockhopper penguins in Patagonia that scale a wall of stone 'free solo.' In Appalachia, fireflies that illuminate a forest in unison. These are just a few of the wonders captured in The Americas, the Emmy-contending 11-part nature series from Universal Television Alternative Studio and NBC. Tom Hanks narrates this examination of the astonishing variety of life on a supercontinent stretching from northern Canada to the bottom of South America. More from Deadline Deadline's Contenders Television Streaming Site Launches Sly Lives!' Filmmakers Questlove And Joseph Patel On Sly Stone's Genius And That Revealing Encounter With Maria Shriver – Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety 'RuPaul's Drag Race's Season 17 Queens Discuss The Series' "Beautiful" Storytelling & Welcoming Their Parents To The Stage - Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety 'We wanted to tell a story that was an adventure,' executive producer Mike Gunton explained as he appeared at Deadline's Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety event. 'I wanted it to feel like a safari, a fun safari. So if you were to go to the very best places you could ever go on this massive supercontinent, where would they be and who would be your guide? Tom Hanks. But if you go on a safari, you want to have the serious things. You want to have the scary things, you want to have the dramatic things, but you also want to have that playful side of things.' Gunton's extensive credits include Prehistoric Planet Seasons 1 and 2, Planet Earth II and Planet Earth III. He knows how to engage an audience with the inherent drama of the animal world. 'My own approach has always been to try and focus on individual character stories,' Gunton said. 'So you don't tell a [general] story about lions or about blue-footed boobies. You tell the story about a pair or an individual who's struggling with a task, almost like a hero's journey for each of these creatures. And one of the things that that does is I think it makes it connectable. Part of the entertainment of watching this is you see in these animals' lives your life reflected and vice versa.' RELATED: The Americas has been a major hit for NBC, becoming 'the most-watched nature documentary on linear television in more than 15 years.' It doesn't hurt the odds of success when you can draw on the talents of a two-time Oscar winner as your narrator. '[Hanks is] an absolutely delightful bloke and did such a good job, brought all sorts of his own skills and personality to it,' Gunton observed. 'Some of the little asides, we wanted some of those slight fourth-wall-breaking moments — not too much but just occasionally pointing up the kind of humanity of some of the things you saw. And I think he did that really, really well.' Before agreeing to join the project, Hanks watched a rough assembly of an episode. 'What was really wonderful,' Gunton recalled, 'is at the very end of showing him this cut, he turned and said, 'I was born to narrate this.' ' Check back Monday for the panel video. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far
Dubai Eye
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Dubai Eye
Saturday Night Live to debut in the UK
The long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) will launch in the UK next year featuring British comedians and entertainers. SNL, which launched the careers of A-List stars such as Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell and Tina Fey, has become a US institution and celebrated its 50th year in February. The show has featured a host of celebrity guests and political figures, such as US President Donald Trump, when he was running for office. The UK version will be overseen by US producer Lorne Michaels alongside the US version. Production will be led by UK team Universal Television Alternative Studio. SNL began in 1975 and recently made into a film - Saturday Night - featuring Spider-Man star Willem Dafoe. It's not the first time the show has been taken overseas, with a French version, Le Saturday Night Live, running for one season in 2017. The UK spinoff will be broadcast on Sky Max and NOW in 2026, with more details of the cast and crew to be announced.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Saturday Night Live gets British version
A British version of long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) will be coming to Sky next year. An American pop culture institution, SNL launched the careers of stars including Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell. It's also featured a host of celebrity and political guests, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump when he was a presidential candidate. SNL celebrated 50 years on air in February. British comedians will be cast in the UK spin-off, which will be overseen by US producer Lorne Michaels alongside the US version. Along with his production company Broadway Video, which has made The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and 30 Rock, the show will be led by UK production team Universal Television Alternative Studio. The beginnings of SNL, which started in 1975, was recently made into the 2024 film Saturday Night, featuring Spider-Man star Willem Dafoe and Succession actor Nicholas Braun. The success of SNL, which airs on NBC in the US, has led to past attempts at international versions of the programme, with a French version Le Saturday Night Live running for just one season in 2017. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, chief executive of Sky Studios and chief content officer at Sky, said: "For over 50 years Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture, reflecting and creating the global conversation, all under the masterful comedic guidance of Lorne Michaels. "The show has discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents over the years and we are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to UK audiences next year - all live from London on Saturday night." Saturday Night Live UK will be broadcast on Sky Max and streaming service NOW in 2026. Details about the UK version's cast, hosts, and premiere will be announced in the coming months.
Sky News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Saturday Night Live gets British version
A British version of long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) will be coming to Sky next year. An American pop culture institution, SNL launched the careers of stars including Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell. It's also featured a host of celebrity and political guests, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump when he was a presidential candidate. SNL celebrated 50 years on air in February. British comedians will be cast in the UK spin-off, which will be overseen by US producer Lorne Michaels alongside the US version. Along with his production company Broadway Video, which has made The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and 30 Rock, the show will be led by UK production team Universal Television Alternative Studio. The beginnings of SNL, which started in 1975, was recently made into the 2024 film Saturday Night, featuring Spider-Man star Willem Dafoe and Succession actor Nicholas Braun. The success of SNL, which airs on NBC in the US, has led to past attempts at international versions of the programme, with a French version Le Saturday Night Live running for just one season in 2017. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, chief executive of Sky Studios and chief content officer at Sky, said: "For over 50 years Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture, reflecting and creating the global conversation, all under the masterful comedic guidance of Lorne Michaels. "The show has discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents over the years and we are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to UK audiences next year - all live from London on Saturday night." Saturday Night Live UK will be broadcast on Sky Max and streaming service NOW in 2026.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘Live from London – it's Saturday night!' SNL is getting a UK series with British comedy talent
Saturday Night Live, the US comedy series famously broadcast from New York, is crossing the pond for a brand new UK edition in 2026. Sky announced that it will bring a British version of the long-running show to audiences in the UK and Ireland, marking the first time the programme will be produced outside the US. The British version will retain the original's signature style – it will be aired live late at night and will feature a rotating roster of celebrity hosts, musical guests and a regular cast of top British comedic talent. Hosts will open each show with a new variation of the catchphrase: 'Live from London – it's Saturday night!' The American series has been on air since 1975 and has welcomed a long list of high-profile hosts over the decades, including Drew Barrymore, Taylor Swift, and Tom Hanks. Across its nearly 50-year run, Saturday Night Live has also established a so-called 'Five-Timers Club' – a nod to those who have hosted at least five times. Topping the list is Alec Baldwin, who holds the record with an impressive 17 appearances as host. S aturday Night Live has also won more Emmy awards than any other show in history and is credited with launching the careers of Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey. The UK debut of the show will be executive produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, who will continue to oversee the US version simultaneously. Production will be handled by Broadway Video and Universal Television Alternative Studio's UK team. Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios, said in a statement; 'For over 50 years Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture. We are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to UK audiences next year - all live from London on Saturday night!' Details including the UK cast, hosts, musical guests and exact premiere date are expected to be announced in the coming months.
